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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22621039">Some Legends are Real</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperSaiyanKS/pseuds/SuperSaiyanKS'>SuperSaiyanKS</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/F, F/M, M/M, Modern Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Vampires, Werewolves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:27:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,042</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22621039</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperSaiyanKS/pseuds/SuperSaiyanKS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>Decided to do a revamp of a previous story I've came up with known as, The Infiltrator. You can still find the original, unfinished version on Wattpad. Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Bertolt Hoover/Annie Leonhart, Carla Yeager/Grisha Yeager, Hange Zoë/Levi, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Armin Arlert &amp; Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Armin Arlert, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Mina Carolina &amp; Annie Leonhart, Mina Carolina/Original Character, Oluo Bozado/Petra Ral, Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover, Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover/Annie Leonhart, Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Decided to do a revamp of a previous story I've came up with known as, The Infiltrator. You can still find the original, unfinished version on Wattpad. Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Prologue</b>
</p><p>
  <span>What would you do if I told you that maybe all those legendary monsters you've more than likely have heard about, were more than just simple stories meant to scare you? There's no proof out there that they are in fact real, so you shouldn't worry. Just keep in mind, there is no proof that they </span>
  <span>aren't</span>
  <span> real either.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p>
  <span>The warm light of the sun blanketed over the mountainous area. However, even with the sun out, the chilled air always kept the temperature under 40 degrees. A small boy walked on the solitary, steep road that was lined with countless trees. He wore an oversized blue sweater over his white shirt and suspenders, as well as khaki pants with brown dress shoes. His blonde messy locks reached his chin and his bangs almost covered his eyebrows. He clutched a brown book to his chest and kept his gaze low. He reached a single, small wooden house at the end of the road, where a tall elderly man stood waiting for him. The boy ran to the man and hugged him tightly. "Armin. Took you a bit longer to get here today." The man spoke in a husky, but kind voice. He patted Armin's head causing him to look up to him with puffy red eyes. The cuts and dirt on the young boy's face, spoke for themselves. Much to his displeasure, the elderly man knew that the boy had another run in with the neighborhood bullies. He wished he could go and pick up the boy from school, but at his age, it seemed more and more difficult to move around.  "It's okay, son." The old man sighed. "Let's go get you cleaned up." He said opening the door to their home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Grandpa, why do the other kids not like me?" The boy sat on the couch and his grandfather knelt in front of him with a warm wet rag. He dabbed the rag lightly around his grandson's injuries. "Don't mind them, Armin. You are a smart kid, and those arrogant brutes don't know how to have a conversation with an intellectual. They only know how to talk with their fists. Anyways, I'm sure you'll make friends with someone who is as smart and kind as you." His grandfather gave him a warm smile. He placed a band-aid over the boy's cheek and another on the bridge of his nose. He ruffled Armin's hair to which Armin smiled. "Can I go play outside a little?" His bright ocean blue eyes beamed. His grandfather nodded. "I'll get started on dinner." He said before Armin ran out the back door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The backyard of the small wooden house wasn't anything special. There was a single tree in the middle with a wooden swing that hung on one of the sturdier branches, and there was no barrier separating the woods from the backyard. The young boy sat on the swing with the brown book on his lap. The book's cover was made of leather that was slightly withered, indicating its age. It was his favorite piece of literature that was gifted to him by his grandfather. He was told that it was also his father's favorite when he was younger, his grandfather had told him. Armin would never let the book out of his sight. He smiled down at the book and opened it. Between the cover and the first page was a photograph of Armin's parents, his grandfather, and a baby Armin. He looked up at the sky with the biggest smile and a slight tint of sadness in his eyes. "Mom... Dad... I know you're watching over me right now, and I hope you can hear me. I haven't forgotten about you guys. I'm doing good in school, my teacher says that I'm the best in the class! I still don't have any friends though, but I'll keep trying. I love you!" He turned his gaze back to the photograph and sighed. "I wish you were still here. I really miss you." He laid his hand lightly on the photograph, his smile slowly disappearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a moment of silence before a ruffling that came from between the trees caught the boy's attention. He closed his book and lightly placed it on the ground to not make noise. His breath was shaky as he slowly walked to the origin of the sound. What could it be? He was terrified, but his curious nature insisted on finding who or what had made that sound. He went through the trees with caution, making sure he didn't go too far from his home. He accidentally stepped on a twig causing it to snap under him. He stood still and looked around frantically to see if he might've caught the attention of whatever it was that was lurking in the woods. Before he knew it, he was on the ground being pinned down. The air was knocked out of his lungs upon impact with the ground. He clenched his eyes shut, regretting having given into his curiosity. He slowly opened his eyes to meet a pair of icy blue orbs. "Umm... H-Hello?"" He muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The small girl that was keeping him down got up and wiped the tears from her eyes. Armin got up and gave her a curious look. "Are you okay?" He asked, the young platinum blonde girl nodded as she dusted herself off. "What's your name?" Armin asked only to be ignored. "My name's Armin." He continued. He held his hand out to shake hers, but she was confused by the gesture and only stared at his hand without emotion. "Annie." She said simply. Her hair was kept in a messy bun with her right fringe draping over the right side of her face. She wore a simple gray hoodie, with white pants and brown boots. She stared at him carefully. How she got there, she wasn't sure, but she was sure that the boy in front of her was not a threat. She was mentally taking notes of her surroundings. "Y-You want to be friends?" Armin spoke shyly, a light dust of pink rose to his cheeks. The question broke her from her train of thought. "A friend?" She asked. To be completely honest, she wasn't completely sure what the definition of friends was, she knew she wasn't allowed to have any though. "Yeah, we can play together and have fun, you know?" He added. The thought of having someone to actually play with intrigued her, she was still a child after all. "Okay." She said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was taken aback when the young boy took her hand and led her to his backyard. Who can blame him though? This was Armin's first friend and his excitement got the best of him. He grabbed his book from the ground and led her to the steps of the back porch. He sat and patted the space next to him for Annie to sit. "This is my favorite book. It's about the ocean!" He beamed, placing the book in the middle of them. "What's the ocean?" She asked with curiosity sparking in her. Something about the boy caught her interest, maybe it was the way warmth seemed to radiate off of him or the way his eyes seemingly glowed bright. "The ocean is the largest body of water, bigger than any river or lake! It has endless amounts of salt as well!" He spoke happily. He opened his book and they both skimmed through the pages together. Annie would ask questions here and there and Armin always had an answer for her. She was really enjoying her time with her newly found friend, she hadn't even noticed she had started smiling. It was more than a pleasant change from her reality. "One day, I want to go see the ocean for myself. I want to feel the ocean breeze, hear the sounds of the waves crashing, walk on the sand, and maybe even collect some seashells!" The way Armin talked about the sea made it seem like a complete paradise, something too good to be true Annie thought. "I'll go with you." Annie knew Armin was smart, and if this paradise existed she wanted to see it too, with him. "That's even better! We'll go see the ocean together." Armin turned to her with a toothy grin. Annie had to admit to herself that his smile was the dumbest, most genuine smile that she had ever seen. Yet, she couldn't help but try to replicate his smile into her own awkward one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Armin! Dinner is ready!" Armin's grandfather yelled from inside the house. The young pair got up almost instantly. Annie hadn't realized how late it had gotten, the sun was beginning to set, she would surely get in trouble when she got back home. She really wished she could stay or that maybe they can just go see the ocean now, but escaping wouldn't be that easy and she knew that. "I'm sorry, Annie. I have to go." Armin said with a hint of sadness. "It's okay. I do too." She replied. "It was nice meeting you. I really like you, you're nice." Armin smiled warmly. A rush of warmth came over Annie, no one's ever said that about her, and to think that they just met. "I... I l-like you too, Armin. Maybe I can come again tomorrow?" She said quietly. The glowing excitement in Armin's eyes returned. "Yeah! I'll be here! I'll see you tomorrow!" He grinned. Her eyes widened when she realized the boy had her in a tight hug. "Goodnight, Annie." He said. She gave him a faint smile. "Goodnight." And with that Armin made his way back into his home leaving Annie wondering how in the world she was supposed to escape the chains of the circumstances she lived in to see him. She turned and started making her way back into the woods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, she did see him the next day, and many days after. They confided in each other, they found a connection like neither of them have ever had before. Some days Annie even went out of her way to go meet him at his school so he wouldn't have to walk alone. She met his bullies and much to Armin's amaze, the bullies were met with swift kicks and punches. Don't mess with Armin, especially not when Annie is around.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Beginning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Praise the wall!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Protected by the wall!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>These were common lines that were said between the population within The City of Tomorrow. As a matter of fact you can find those same phrases written on the 50 meter wall that bordered The City of Tomorrow. It is said that over 100 years ago the remaining human population of the world took shelter within the wall after a devastating war that gave birth to monsters known as, Lycans, or more commonly known as, werewolves. However, these weren't your regular werewolves. They ranged in tremendous size, some were the size of an adult, others the size of buildings. They looked grotesque, deformed and lacked reproduction organs. Some looked more humanoid than others, but all were equally terrifying. Mindless creatures with an unquenchable thirst for human blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thank the goddesses, Maria, Rose, and Sina for the wall!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Respect the rule of the wall! The wall is the only salvation for humanity! </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun began to settle in for the day, and the moon peeked over the wall. The candle on the small wooden table offered its soft light. Armin sighed contently as he looked out the window from his bed, it was the end of another good day. All he could think about was tomorrow. More than likely he'd see Annie, he knew that. Her visits were short, but frequent. What will they do tomorrow? Armin's door creaked open bringing him back to the present. "Armin almost time for bed." His grandfather said as he walked in. Armin turned to him with a small smile. "Can you tell me a story? About the outside world!" Armin asked with a toothy grin as he jumped into bed and went under his covers. His grandfather smiled and sat on his grandson's bed and ruffled Armin's hair. Oh, how the young boy reminded the old man of his daughter. Same curiosity for the world beyond the wall. "Alright. Let's see... Hmm..." His grandfather scratched his grey beard, as he thought about a story to tell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, Long ago, before the Lycans, there were people living all over the world. Some lived in the mountains, some in the dessert, some even near the ocean! However, there was a boy who spent his time travelling seeing the world. He climbed the tallest mountains, ventured through the hottest deserts, and swam across the deepest oceans! There was no place in the entire world he hadn't seen--" Armin yawned, his eyelids were becoming heavy. "One day, I will travel the world too, Grandpa." He said with a small smile. "I know you will, Armin. Now, there was one thing this boy wanted more than anything. He wanted to be able to share his experiences with someone. So one day, on one of his adventures, he stopped by a small village. The people of the village were afraid of the dangers of the world. Not any of them had ever attempted to leave the comfort and safety of the village. However, there was a young girl who often tried to leave. She craved to know what was beyond her home. Lucky for her, this boy had come. She showered him with questions and he happily answered all of them. They shared a bond like no other. Soon enough, the boy invited her to venture with him, and they did! They went everywhere together and they lived happily ever after." Armin's grandfather ended his story. He turned to look at his sleeping grandson and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He stood up and pulled the blankets over the sleeping child. "Goodnight, Armin." He whispered. He blew out the candle and slowly walked to the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You will see the world beyond, just like your parents wanted you to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The old man glanced back at his sound asleep grandson with a smile, before he closed the bedroom door lightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin ran out of his school in search of Annie. Finally, the moment he's been waiting for since last night! She's always there to keep him company on his way back home after school. He looked through the crowd of children for the short, bleach blonde girl, but he couldn't find her. Some of the children around were greeted by their parents who had been waiting for them, while others went off with their friends to cause mischief. Minutes after the crowd had cleared a bit, he still had no clue where Annie was. He sighed with a hint of disappointment. Maybe she was too busy to come today. He figured he should start walking back to his house. Maybe she'll come by later today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk back home felt longer, but the excitement of possibly seeing Annie later helped keep a smile on his face. He walked through a small alleyway between two wooden buildings. "Hey! Look! It's Armin!" The young blond boy stopped in his tracks, eyes widening in fear as soon as he heard the familiar voice. A hand landed harshly on his shoulder, Armin turned to see the trio of bullies. Their leader had a smirk on his face. "Where's your little girlfriend? Bet she left your sorry ass!" The leader of the group spat causing the other two to snicker. The leader grabbed Armin's shirt in his fist and shoved him into a wall causing the breath in his lungs to be knocked out. He clenched his eyes and grabbed the bully's wrist in an attempt to get him to loosen his grip on him. "Don't like it? Then fight back!" The bully yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"N-No! I would never stoop to your level!" Armin said through his teeth. "Excuse me!?" The bully tightened his grip on the boy. "You resort to violence because your brain is the size of a walnut! So beat me all you want, I've already won!" Armin yelled back. The bully growled in frustration trying to come up with a snapback. "Yeah, well you know, what? I'm a sore loser!" The bully yelled. He punched Armin in the face. Armin fell on the floor and the other bullies joined in. They began kicking and punching the poor boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the bullies got bored, they left. Armin sat on the floor with his knees to his chest, fresh bruises and cuts decorated his face. His clothes were dirty, and his hair a mess. He couldn't help but let out a whimper from the pain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey." A small boy peered over the corner. He had emerald green eyes and messy, brunette hair that was parted down the middle. Armin looked up with puffy red eyes. "Why didn't you defend yourself?" He asked with a stoic stare. "You know, they keep bullying you because you don't fight back. You're really okay with losing to them all the time?" The boy continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffled. "I didn't lose..." Armin spoke softly, but loud enough for the other to hear. "Huh?" The boy's eyes widened with curiosity. "I didn't lose because I didn't run away." Armin said looking straight forward, his eyebrows knitted together. The boy walked closer to him. "What's your name?" He asked. Armin looked up to him with glazed eyes. "A-Armin." The boy extended his hand out to Armin to help him up. "My name's Eren." Armin only stared at his hand and pulled himself up using the wall behind him for support. "My dad is a doctor, he can help you. Come." Before Armin could say anything Eren grabbed his hand and pulled him in the direction of his home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk to Eren's home wasn't a long one. His house was small and had a set of wooden steps leading up to the door. It was much closer to the wall as well, at least, compared to Armin's home. Eren guided Armin inside his house and they were greeted by who Armin assumed was Eren's mother. She wore a green dress and white apron and her dark brown hair was in a loose ponytail which was draped over her shoulder. "Eren, you've finally made a friend. What's his name?" His mother said with a warm smile. She took a closer look at the blond boy and gave him a worried look. "Are you okay?" She asked. Armin turned away to hide his face. "Eren Jeager! What did you do!? Apologize to him this instance!" She turned to her own son, yelling at him. "What!? I didn't do anything!" Eren retorted. "It wasn't him, I swear! He just wanted to help me!" Armin quickly butted in not wanting Eren to get in trouble because of him. Eren's mother turned to look at the boy, she could tell he was being sincere. "I'll go get your father." She said before walking to the other room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin sat in the dining room chair while Eren's father dabbed a cotton ball soaked in alcohol on his face. With each light touch from the cotton ball Armin felt a small sting causing him to wince here and there. The man worked as gently as he could on the small boy's wounds. Eren stood behind his father, looking over his shoulder. "No worries, we're almost done." The man spoke. "What was your name, son?" He asked. "Armin," The boy replied. "I'm Doctor Jeager." The man said as he put the cotton ball back in the bowl of alcohol. "Eren go get me some band-aids." The brunette boy ran to the kitchen cabinet and fished out a couple band-aids before handing them to his father. The man pushed his glasses up and started placing the band-aids on Armin. Now there was a band-aid on the right side of his forehead, on his chin, his cheek, his nose. Those bullies really did a number on him this time. "Thank you, Doctor Jeager. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Armin spoke softly. "Don't worry. It's the least I could do for one of my son's friends. Not many kids like him." Eren's father commented with a faint smile. Eren crossed his arms with an annoyed expression. "Whatever." Eren muttered under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where is that boy?" The old man stood on his porch, worried. It was late and his grandson hasn't come home yet. It wasn't like him to get home this late. The man paced around on his porch. He caught the silhouette of a person through the corner of his eye and looked down the road leading to the house. Much to his pleasure, it was his grandson. He noticed a man and another boy with him. The man wore round glasses and black suit with a matching hat and the boy wore a dark brown sweater and pants with an olive green shirt. The three approached the old man, his grandson looked at the floor. "Where have you been?" His grandfather asked sternly. The boy slowly turned to look up to his grandfather. "I'm sorry, Grandpa." Armin said. It had happened again. His grandfather sighed and turned to the tall man. "Thank you for bringing my grandson back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're welcome, sir. Sorry, we brought him home so late, my wife insisted he should stay for supper. My son had brought him over because he had gotten hurt, but no need to worry I took care of his injuries." The man spoke. "My gratitude is yours... umm.." "Doctor Grisha Jeager." Eren's father extended his hand to the old man. They shared a firm handshake. "I'll be off then. A pleasure meeting you and your grandson." He said pushing Eren forward to say goodbye to them as well. "The pleasure was all mine. Thank you again, Doctor." The old man spoke with a small smile. "Goodbye, Armin. See you later." Eren waved. "Bye." Armin waved back. Armin and his grandfather watched as Eren's and Doctor Jeager's silhouettes slowly faded from their view. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin sat on his bed looking out the window at the night sky. The stars gleamed and the moon shone it's bright light. He couldn't sleep. What happened to Annie? He hadn't seen her the entire day. Is she okay? Armin slowly got up from his and opened his door. He crept out carefully to avoid making a noise to not wake up his grandfather. He made his way out to his backyard and stared into the neighboring forest. That's the direction Annie came from when I first met her. That's the direction she always goes when she leaves. Armin took small steps into the forest. Something was calling him in. It was cold, and here he was barefoot with only pajamas on, walking in plain darkness. He'd lost track of time. Maybe he should go back. If only the curiosity in him wasn't building up. He heard a quiet sob. It caused him to stop in his tracks. Annie?  He started running and came across a small clearing with a rock in the middle and there she was. Sitting in the darkness, her back was turned to him. "Annie." He spoke. She turned around swiftly. Was it really him? "Armin?" He slowly walked towards her. She stood up and as soon as he was close enough she hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry." Was all she could say. Armin was confused, but he returned the hug anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was silence between them for a very long time. Only the crickets could be heard throughout the forest. "I don't want to leave, but I have to." Annie spoke. "Huh?" Armin stared at her with gentle eyes. "Don't worry. You'll come back, right? Remember we're going to see the outside world!" Armin spoke with a hint of excitement. Annie looked into his eyes and while it was dark, she was able to see his eyes were beaming with joy. It only hurt her more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Annie. What are you doing?" Annie quickly turned to the source of the voice. Icy blue orbs met fiery red ones. There was a boy, Armin noted. He looked exactly like Annie, with Annie's signature stoic look on him as well. The red eyed boy glanced at Armin. "I see..." The boy mumbled to himself. "Don't hurt him, please." Annie said with the faintest hint of distress in her voice. However, her eyes said it all, she was terrified. "Who are you?" Armin asked. The boy walked closer to the pair. Something about him felt off. The air around him felt dense. Armin turned to look at Annie for a second, but when he turned back at the direction the boy was, he was gone. "Who I am, doesn't matter." He heard his voice from behind him and before Armin could turn, he felt a squeeze on his shoulder. Armin came crashing down the floor, his sight went pitch dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Annie, why?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I needed to say goodbye.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We need to go.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Help me take him back.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin shot up from his bed. A light morning breeze came through the open window causing the curtains to sway. Weird, he's never let the window open at night. What's going on? Was it all just a dream?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Dreams and Promises</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Oi! Armin! Over here!" The green eyed boy waved his hand to make it easier to be seen among the crowd. The blond boy turned with a smile and jogged to him muttering apologies to the people who he'd accidentally bump into. Armin had learned that he and Eren actually went to the same school. Though, Eren wasn't big on keeping up with his studies. It's hard to believe that the brunette is the son of a doctor who is deemed a medical genius. "So, how'd you do on your test?" Armin asked once he was close enough to see the paper in Eren's hand. "Flunked, again..." Eren mumbled under his breath, a frown spread across his face. The two boys began making their way to a river that ran through the walled city. "Teacher said I'd be lucky to pass on to the next grade level, whatever the hell that means." Armin recognized the bite in Eren's tone, it was actually quite common to come out a couple times throughout the day. "School's useless anyways! It won't help me become any better of a soldier!" Eren continued as he crumpled the paper in his fist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A soldier?" Armin asked curiously. The military of the walls wasn't exactly praised. Many thought of the military as a waste of taxes and resources. The two young boys reached their destination. The water of the river reflected the warm sunlight. Laughter of the younger children that were running around filled the air along with the muffled talk of the adults watching. Eren threw the piece of paper into the river and his eyes sparked with determination. "Yeah, a soldier. I'm going to join the Survey Corps and defeat the Lycans outside the wall! I'll eliminate every last one!" Eren smiled confidently and punched the air in front of him. The Survey Corps, the most shunned upon military branch of all. Their objective was to reclaim the land outside the wall from the Lycans. "That's my dream, Armin." Eren turned to the blond with a grin. Armin returned the smile. They sat on a set of steps near the river.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, what's your dream?" Eren asked. "My dream..." It's not like Armin felt the need to scatter through his own thoughts to figure out what his dream was. He knew exactly what he wanted. "My dream is to one day see the ocean and travel the world outside the wall!" Armin's eyes shone bright. Eren couldn't help but be hit with waves of confusion. "Uhh... What's an ocean?" Armin wasn't surprised the brunette didn't know about the ocean. No one really knew about the world beyond the walls. Armin scooted closer to Eren and started to explain in a whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is supposed to be kept a secret, but the ocean is a large body of water filled with salt." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Salt!? No way that's true! You could make a fortune out of selling salt. The merchants would've scooped it out ages ago."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is true! The ocean is so big it would never run out! I have a book about it! Come! I'll show you!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know you could get thrown into a cell for having something like that."</span>
</p><p>
  <b>...</b>
</p><p>
  <span>The wind blew ominously as two children stared across the crystalline water. The sound of waves and the seagulls flying above filled the air. "Armin..." The name seemed to roll off the small girl's tongue as she studied her surroundings. The sight was breathtaking. This was the world he dreamed to one day see, and here she was about to embark on a mission that might impede him from accomplishing that dream. How she longed for the ocean eyed boy. Her eyes fell to the ground and she let out a sad sigh. Would he forgive her?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Annie." The soft stoic voice brought her back from her thoughts. She turned to meet the familiar pair of fire red eyes. The small boy before her was her mirror image. His hair was parted in a similar fashion to hers, his bangs draped over most of the right side of his face. Though his hair wasn't nearly as long as hers, his was styled in an undercut. "I'm sorry." His eyes radiated with exhaustion and sorrow, despite his young age. There was silence between the two, the girl's icy orbs became glazed and a tight knot became to form in her throat at the sight of her brother. Her eyes trailed to his left ear, and focused on the torn, scarred flesh on the helix. Something overcame Annie, she seemingly threw herself into her brother's arms and held him in a tight embrace. For that moment, he felt his body relax into her arms. Her warmth was inviting. "Annie! Anthony!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dark looming shadow of the man stood over the two children causing them to part. The three glanced at the silhouette of the ship that peeked over the horizon. The man cleared his throat to turn the attention of the children to him. "Listen, we might not have the chance to talk later on. This might be my only chance... So please listen." The man knelt down to their height. His expression turned into one of guilt and desperation, something neither of the children expected from the cold man. "My son... My daughter..." He placed a hand on either one of their shoulders. His grip on them was tight, and the faint tremble of his hands stirred different emotions within the two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was this the same stern, heartless man that had raised them? The man's breath became shaky, he pulled the two into his arms, tears rolled down his cheeks. Anger boiled within Anthony, he balled his fists at his sides. This man, this monster that had long sealed their fate had no right to shed tears for them, much less call them his children. The boy harshly pulled away from the man, his nostrils flaring. "Anthony, pleas-" Whatever the man had to say had to say to him, he didn't want to hear it, and so he ran from the man, leaving his sister with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annie was confused, she wasn't sure how she felt and she didn't know what to do. Her father's actions were strange, she'd never seen him so distraught. The man yelled for the boy to come back, but to no avail. "Annie." He wrapped his arms around her more tightly than before. His cry was silent. The horn of the ship echoed onto the shoreline. The time was nearing.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Annie, I believe you and your brother will make it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I'm so sorry. I don't expect for either of you to forgive me,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>but please.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please, just, stand your ground. Stand your ground even if the whole world stands against you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They'll hate you, they won't understand you. But I will, your dad always will.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Promise me you'll return, you and your brother... </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The young boy ran until he reached a small nearby tree. He leaned against the trunk to catch his breath. He looked at the horizon once more and noted the small boats that came from the ship nearly filled with soldiers that were assigned to retrieve them. He straightened himself and turned to look back at Annie and the cold man. The scene unfolding before him sickened him. Seeing the cold man all of a sudden display that sort of affection made the anger boil inside Anthony. He gritted his teeth, he couldn't make sense of what was happening. He let out a yell of frustration and quickly whipped around and landed a harsh blow to the tree. His breathing was erratic, his thoughts scrambled. He continued to yell and beat the tree until the skin on knuckles began to rip and the bark from the tree began to fly off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oi! You devil brat!" He must've been so bewitched by his anger and frustration that he hadn't noticed the soldiers had reached the shore, much less the soldier that was walking up to him with a nasty look on his face. "Hey!" The soldier angrily grabbed the boy's shoulder forcing him to turn to him. Much to the soldier's luck, one of Anthony's fists had swiftly met his gut. The soldier fell to his knees, grabbing his stomach and puking out whatever contents were in it. The foul stench brought the boy back to reality, he looked down to his quivering hands. "Damn you!" The soldier coughed out, he sloppily stood to his feet grabbing the boy by his sweater and slamming him to the beaten tree. "You'll pay for that!" Anthony struggled against the strong soldier's grip. "Stand down, Carter." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Commander Magath." The soldier let the boy fall to the ground. "Join your comrades, I'll handle this." The soldier nodded and looked down at Anthony once more, spitting on the boy's face before he left. "Anthony Leonhardt." The strong voice called. The boy stood up, wiping the spit from his face. He was met with a man much taller than he was. He wore the same uniform as the other soldier, though he noted all the badges he wore signifying his higher rank. His eyes seemed sunken in and his stare was intimidating and commanding. Magath glanced at the tree acknowledging the dent in its trunk. "I see Mr. Leonhardt trained you well enough. It's safe to assume he did the same with your sister. I'm almost sure one of you will inherit one of the nine. It might even be the both of you... If that's the case Mr. Leonhardt's payout will certainly double." Anthony averted his eyes at the mention of the cold man, his eyebrows furrowed. "You must run the warrior unit, huh?" Anthony asked softly to which Magath hummed in affirmation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anthony looked up to the Commander, making sure to straighten himself. "I will inherit one of the nine. Not for him, but for Annie." There was a moment of silence between the two, Magath stared the boy down to see if his posture would falter. "We'll see. I have high expectations for you and your sister. The other candidates start their training in just a few short days. I note that you and Annie are ahead, but it doesn't mean it will be any easier for you two." Magath answered before turning his back and gesturing for the boy to follow him onto one of the nearby boats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy scanned for Annie, only to see that she was already aboard the small boat. It made him feel better knowing the cold man would be riding on a different boat. Fire red eyes met icy blue ones: Annie, I know what I have to do. We'll make it out of this together, I promise.</span>
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